


The Most Important Day

by JoeKusak, LadyYang



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: Baseball, Cute parents, Emotional story, Family Breakfast, Fluff, Gen, Heart Warming, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Original Story - Freeform, Protective Older Brothers, Slice of Life, adorable younger brother, brother friendship, brother story, family centric, ice cream shop, loving family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 12:37:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13811316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoeKusak/pseuds/JoeKusak, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyYang/pseuds/LadyYang
Summary: Asher Brookes didn’t spend his Halloween like most other kids.  In his opinion, he did something much better.  He spent the whole entire day with his older brother, Arian.October 31st was the one day a year Arian came home to be with him.  Asher spent all year planning for this specific day.(My sister and I sold this book, and all the proceeds have gone to our Animal Humane Society.)





	The Most Important Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Our Local Humane Society and all animal lovers and rescuers out there](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Our+Local+Humane+Society+and+all+animal+lovers+and+rescuers+out+there).



> Hello:) This is a book that my sister and I made. We've been working on it awhile, and we actually have pictures drawn for it too. We sold this story to people around our home town to raise money for the local humane society. My sister and I volunteer there, and we wanted to help out as much as we could. We are animal lovers, and thought they could use some new appliances and such. This is a story that we both wrote together, and thought we would like to share with the more than just the people in our home. We really hope you enjoy. It is kind of short, but we thought it would make better sales if it was directed at younger children.

Asher Brookes didn’t spend his Halloween like most other kids. In his opinion, he did something much better. He spent the whole entire day with his older brother, Arian.  
October 31st was the one day a year Arian came home to be with him. Asher spent all year planning for this specific day. He was so excited the night before that he could barely sleep. So when his older brother woke him up with a poke in the face, Asher groaned.  
“Mph! Mooom, five more minutes!!” he complained with his head under his covers.  
Arian just laughed, “That’s all of the hello I get after my long journey here?”  
Asher was wide awake within seconds. He pounced on Arian with all his might, sending them both tumbling off the bed and onto the floor. He had missed his brother dearly.  
Asher pulled away from his brother and looked at him with bright eyes.  
“This is going to be the best day ever!”

 

The two brothers bound down the steps, nearly stepping on their cat on the way. They came to a screeching halt when they entered the kitchen. The kitchen was of course, their Dad’s domain, but it was a Brookes’s family tradition to all cook together on Halloween. The year before, they had attempted to make pumpkin pancakes. Let’s just say that the ceiling won’t ever be the same again.  
The kitchen counter was already covered with any, and everything breakfast related. Their mom grinned when she saw the happiness on her two boy’s faces.  
“Your father said he would be in charge of the frying pan today, which is really his way of saying I shouldn’t be.” Mrs. Brookes laughed. Their mom was notoriously known for burning food.  
Asher jumped at the chance to give Arian and their mom some alone time , so he excitedly went to help their father with the candy-filled crepes.  
The Brookes family met some bumps in the road during breakfast, but the food turned out to be at least edible. Arian thought the breakfast went on without a hitch, but Asher was positive he preferred his eggs without jellybeans. 

 

After their “delicious” breakfast, Asher jumped up from the table with excitement. “Dad, can I show Arian the thing now? You know, that thing that I have been practicing!!” he said jittery with nerves.  
Arian stood from the table as well, turning his attention to his mom. “Yeah, I really would like to see the thing.” he said bumping his elbow into Asher’s ribs.  
Asher knew what his brother meant, and they simultaneously looked to their dad with huge puppy-dog eyes. Mr. Brookes sighed. “Now boys,” he started but was interrupted by his wife, who also turned big sad eyes to him. “Sweetie, Arian just really wants to see the thing I’ve been helping Asher with for so long.” she said persuasively.  
Their Dad groaned, “How am I supposed to compete with all these despicably adorable faces. Go have fun. Just leave your mother and me to clean up the disaster we left in the kitchen.”  
The brothers and their mother whooped in victory!  
Asher was just about out the door when he heard a familiar clearing of throat. He looked back and saw Arian with an expecting look. Asher rolled his eyes and ran back toward his parents.  
“Thank you dad,” he said with a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you mom,” he said wrapping his arms around her waist. Arian softly kissed his mom’s cheek and went in for a hug from his dad, but somehow wound up in a wrestling match on the floor with him.  
“COME ON BIG BROTHER!!! I’m already walking out the door!” Asher said dramatically taking a step outside. 

 

“Looks like it’s a perfect day for a game. It’s the bottom of the ninth inning; there are two outs; the bases are loaded, and star player, Asher Brookes is at the bat,” Arian spoke with his hand in a mock microphone, pretending to be a sports announcer.  
Asher smiled and tightened his grip on the bat.  
The two brothers were in the middle of the old park that they always came to when Arian practiced baseball. Arian wound up his arm, kicked out his foot, and tossed the baseball. It went hurling toward Asher.  
“Styriiike three!” Arian yelled as Asher swung and missed. Asher growled in frustration as he missed. He could hit the ball just fine yesterday.  
Arian ran over to his younger brother and gave him a noogie. “Don’t be so hard on yourself little bro. You are trying to hang with the best of the best,” he said reassuringly.  
Asher scrambled out of his brother’s grasp and flattened his hair out.  
“You’re only better than me because I’m still small, but I am still much faster! You will never catch me!!” he said beginning to run.  
Arian laughed cheerfully, “Is that a challenge I hear?” He squinted his eyes with delight.  
And just like that, they resumed their epic rivalry in a game of tag!

 

The brothers sprawled out on the ground in exhaustion. “You’re it,” Arian wheezed as he poked Asher.  
Even when completely out of breath, they couldn’t end their game.  
“No, you are it,” Asher said as he flopped his arm onto his brother’s chest.  
Arian figured the game would go on forever, so he suggested something he knew his brother would love.  
“ICE CREAM!!!!!” Asher screamed, immediately regaining all lost energy.  
Arian nodded as he counted the money their parents had given to him before they left that morning.  
“I think we’ll have enough for double scoops each!” he told Asher standing slowly, still slightly tired.  
Asher grabbed his hand, “Yay, thanks big brother.” And then they were off.

 

 

“Can I have two double scoops please? One Peanut Butter Chunk and the other Grape Jamboree, sir.” Asher asked Mr. Carefree.  
The two brothers had traveled to their favorite local ice cream shop, “Brain Freeze.”  
The joint was small, but Asher loved it anyway. The owner even knew him by name. Arian went to get them a table outside while Asher ordered their favorite flavors.  
“Sure can do, Ash.” Mr. Carefree responded as he bustled away to get the ice cream; humming a random tune.  
He came back with two perfect looking cones but stopped before he handed them to the small boy. “I know it’s none of my business, but do your parents know you’ll be having two ice cream cones before dinner?” Mr. Carefree asked with a raised eyebrow.  
Asher looked down and smiled shyly, “It’s okay. That one is for my big brother,” he reassured. The man gave him the ice cream, but before Asher could pay, he told him it was on the house.  
Asher skipped away and out the door while Mr. Carefree looked after him with a sad expression. He thought to himself, “I will have to remember to give that kid free ice cream more often.” He then shook his head and started scrubbing the counter. 

 

Asher and Arian devoured their ice cream in earnest.  
“Mmmm! I haven’t had this stuff in like forever!” Arian said with his mouth full of peanut buttery goodness.  
Asher smiled cheekily as he took another lick, “Yeap, I couldn’t agree more.”  
Arian, determined to keep that smile on his brother’s face, challenged Asher to a game.  
“No big brother! Of course you would win the game of ‘who won’t get a brain freeze first’!” Asher shouted in exasperation, but happy all the same. “I have a better idea. How ‘bout we go to the Junk Yard!”  
Arian, never wanting to disappoint his brother, nodded happily. While they finished their ice cream, he asked all about what Asher wanted to do once they got to their sacred place.

 

Upon reaching the Junkyard, the brother’s looked around for “spare parts.” They found some old tires, a blender, and even a ball of rubber bands. Asher was most excited when Arian uncovered an old Kite with a long tear in it. Asher assured Arian that he would be able to fix it.  
After they scavenged for a good while, Asher took hold of Arian’s hand and lead him to his make- shift work shop.  
“See, I told you I kept all your old inventions safe!” Asher said proudly while handing his older brother a small device.  
Arian smiled fondly at his brother and rubbed his head. In his hands was the bubble blower he fixed two years ago and had given to Asher as a present. As he blew into the device, he watched the bubbles float around him.  
Soon enough, Arian was surrounded by all of his old inventions. Asher just kept setting them around him while treating them like precious treasures. The boys played with each half-way functioning device as if they were brand new.  
“Hey, little brother?” Arian spoke, “have you tried to make anything recently?”  
Asher smiled impishly, “You want to see?”

 

 

“Are you ready to see something awesome, big bro?” Asher called, hiding behind a large pile of junk.  
Arian grinned and said, “I’m ready for my mind to be blown!”  
Instantly there was the sound of scraping metal followed by a small grumbling sound.  
Arian looked sideways and prepared himself for what was to come.  
Soon, a smiling Asher, and a very strange moving something, came into view.  
Arian stared in awe at what his brother had built from all the left over trash.  
“I call it, ‘Garbage Rover 15’ because it took me fifteen tries to get it to move!” Asher said proudly, holding a remote control and moving the little machine forward.  
The Garbage Rover 15 sped forward and turned in circles as Asher commanded. It wasn’t the prettiest piece of machinery, but Arian couldn’t have been more impressed. Asher drove the car up a ramp that he had tested on while he was building it. It swept up the ramp with ease and made the jump across to another ramp perfectly.  
Arian cheered as Asher drove the Garbage Rover 15 back over to them.  
“This is fantastic little brother.” Arian gushed with enthusiasm. Asher blushed at the praise.  
“I always knew you would be the genius in the family,” Arian continued, “Now, you just have to figure out something important to do with all those brains.”  
Arian and Asher passed the controller back and forth, trying to teach the car some new tricks. When they had succeeded at going in and out of ten orange traffic cones without stopping, they deemed themselves master drivers.

 

Not too long after, Arian suggested a trip to the old tree house. Asher was happy to accompany his brother to their favorite place, so off they went.  
They arrived at the tree house, and it was just as Arian remembered it. It had the same squeaky floor, the same drafty walls, and it still had the musty smell of slightly rotting wood.  
The two brothers sat on the edge with their legs swinging.  
Asher leaned over the side dangerously to point out all the small changes in town, but Arian pulled him to his chest to keep him safe.  
“Okay, see over there?” Asher pointed to his left, far out into the distance. “That’s Mrs. Gundersan. Rumor has it that she has forty-two cats, but I counted and am pretty sure she has forty-three,” he said with near positivity.  
Arian chuckled lightly. His younger brother continued as he pointed to the left. “Those guys are the Linsley twins. They just moved in down the street.”  
Arian nodded in interest, “You think they can read each other’s minds?” he asked.  
Asher looked at his older brother in awe. It was exactly what he had thought too.  
“Oh, oh, look!” he pointed to the girl in a mummy costume walking down the street . “That’s my best friend Jo! She’s awesome at baseball,” he burst out with admiration.  
Arian raised an eyebrow, “Aww, it’s your first crush!” he said wiping an invisible tear from his eye.  
Asher blushed bright red, and began to sputter how they were just friends. Arian would have none of that. “You’re in denial,” plain and simple. 

 

 

The brothers sat there side by side, with ceaseless conversation, just enjoying the other’s company. Soon the sun began to set, and Asher knew they would have to be returning home soon. He looked out over their small town and felt a stinging in his eyes and nose.  
Arian could feel that something was amiss and poked his brother in the side. Asher turned to him with a crackly smile, just holding on to his tears.  
Arian frowned for a moment but recovered quickly with a kind smile.  
“Hey, it’s okay bud. We still have the rest of the night together,” he said reassuringly.  
Asher’s bottom lip wobbled as he choked out, “I know.” He rubbed his hands across his eyes trying to hide his sadness.  
Arian shook his head and took both of Asher’s hands in his. He wiped a stray tear away from the younger boy’s face and seemed to cradle the drop of water for a moment. He then smiled with squinted eyes, the way he knew Asher loved.  
“Hey, man, we should probably get back home said Arian. Asher looked up at him. Arian continued, “What? You don’t think I still remember how mom gets when we are late for dinner?”  
Asher shook his head, giggling. “No one can forget that face!” he said nodding.  
Arian stood and pulled Asher up with him. “Race you home!” he shouted as he ran to get down the tree house ladder.  
Asher stood still for only a moment but then shot out to go after Arian. “No fair, you had a head start!”

 

 

The only time Arian left Asher’s side that evening was to go take a quick trip to the bathroom. The rest of the night he dedicated to making his younger bro smile. The brothers and their parents had a delicious meal of takeout pizza, and for dessert, caramel apples. After dinner, while washing the dishes, their mom cranked up the jams. They had a spontaneous dance off; parents vs. kids. Arian broke out with the cabbage patch dance move, and their dad retaliated with the Harold shuffle. Asher and his mom teamed up to pull out their tango dancing skills.  
By the end of cleaning the kitchen, almost nothing was found clean, and both parties decided they had won the competition.  
After the family truly cleaned the dishes, they unanimously chose a game for their evening.  
They decided to play one of their classic games of charades. Asher’s third turn was deemed most difficult charade of the night. He was challenged with getting his teammate to get the word aardvark, but with amazing intuition into his brother’s mind, Arian pulled the animal name out of thin air. 

 

 

 

When eleven o’clock rolled around, the family knew it was close to the time for Arian’s departure.  
The family all gathered at the front door, ready to leave. Before their father had even opened the door, Asher remembered something important that he had almost forgotten.  
Asher grabbed Arian’s hand and pulled him into his room while telling his parents that he had a surprise.  
Five minutes later, both brothers came strutting out with chaotic laughter.  
They were both clad in matching white sheets with cut out holes for their eyes. The smaller of the two “ghosts” ran to their mom and set a witch hat on her head.  
“I found everyone costumes to wear!” Asher said happily while handing an old wizard’s hat to his dad. Their mom leaned over to their dad and straightened his hat with a satisfied smile.  
Arian came floating over, covered in a white sheet, “Oooh! I love the costuuuumes little broooo!” Arian said in a horrible attempt at a ghost voice.  
Asher reached up and patted his brother on the head. “Thanks, I wanted us to start a new tradition where we all dress up before you leave!” Asher said a little nervous.  
Arian wrestled his brother into a headlock, “Of course we’ll make it a tradition!”  
Both of their parents smiled sadly at their two sons. Mr. Brookes put a comforting arm around his wife. After a moment of silence, she shook it off with a grin.  
“Hahahahahahaha!” she cackled like a witch. “Your costumes are so boo-tiful!” she screeched. The boys raised unimpressed eyebrows at the pun, but then laughed at their mom’s corniness. 

 

 

The Brookes all trotted down the street with their heads held high. They leered around making weird faces at all the people who were still out this late on Halloween. Asher especially enjoyed when they all crept out of the shadows and scared the bejeebies out of Jo and her parents. Jo and her family were Halloween fanatics and would stay out all night if they could. Arian very much supported this philosophy.  
As the Brookes walked, they noticed more and more of people’s lights going out. Everything was becoming more quiet, but the moon still showed bright.  
Asher looked at the sky in thought. “Hmm….Arian, I have a question,” he said. Tilting his head, he asked, “Why do wolves howl at the moon?”  
Arian chuckled, “Well, at night, when wolf brothers miss each other, they can look at the moon and remember they’re not so far apart. They howl so the other knows they’re okay and thinking of them,” he explained while looking down at his brother.  
Asher pursed his lips, but before he could say anything, Arian was howling into the night.  
Asher grinned and joined in. Soon, the whole Brookes family was howling at the moon.  
They walked on as a true pack until they reached the graveyard.

 

 

The family somberly walked through the gates of the graveyard. The whole cemetery was alight with soft yellow lanterns.  
Asher held onto Arian’s hand as they approached a familiar gravestone.  
Arian pulled himself away from Asher and removed his ghost sheet. His body was aglow in a soft, warm, glowing gold.  
He walked toward his mother who was trying to fight back tears. She was practically choking as she hugged him tight and tried to tell him how much she loved him.  
Arian touched her nose to his, and whispered, “Thank you.” He said it with such strength and gratitude that it almost overwhelmed his mom.  
Next, he moved to his father. His eyes were wet as he wasn’t even trying to hide his tears.  
He pulled his son into a fierce grip, “Take care, kid. You know I love you.” He breathed into his son’s shoulder.  
Arian smiled into his father’s chest, “I know. Keep them safe for me and don’t let mom burn down the house,” he said smiling brokenly but still attempting a joke.  
Lastly, he moved toward his little brother who had streams of tears running down his cheeks. Arian yanked him into the tightest hug he could, trying to hold his brother together from the outside in.  
Asher couldn’t even speak from the force. Arian tore himself away from the embrace and started forward.  
Just as his body began to tingle with a light feeling, Asher grabbed his hand. “No! Wait!” he cried desperately.

 

 

Arian turned around quickly and asked urgently, “Are you okay?”  
Asher frowned, “No, I’m not okay! I want you to stay.” He latched onto Arian’s waist and cried, “Please don’t go.”  
Arian looked down at his brother in sadness but didn’t get a word out before Asher spoke again.  
“You’re all I think about every day! I wait for you to come home all year! I wish everyday could be today,” he said finally meeting Arian’s eyes.  
Arian set his face with a kind, but firm look. He took Asher’s hand and put it to his heart and then touched both their hands to his own.  
“I know it’s hard Asher, but it’s okay. I need you to do something for me. I’m going to tell you what you need to do, okay?” Arian said to Asher gently.  
Asher nodded shakily. “Good, now you are all I think about every day I’m not here with you too. I think about playing with you and teaching you to actually hit that baseball. I wish at night that I could hug you and tell you bedtime stories, and that every morning I could destroy the kitchen with you, mom, and dad. I do enough worrying and thinking for the both of us. So that means that you have to do the laughing and the dreaming for us,” he explained softly.  
Asher nodded again, “I can do that, but you won’t be mad if I mess up, right?” he said with hopeful, yet sad eyes.  
Arian laughed, though tears were building in his own eyes. “I could never be mad at you when I know you are trying your hardest. Just remember that every day has to be treated like it’s the most important,” he said with a smile.  
He dropped something into Asher’s hand before kissing him on the nose. Asher watched as Arian sat down at his grave and faded into the light. Arian was smiling.  
Tears seeped down all the Brookes’ faces, and they all wrapped around one another for comfort. Asher looked down into his hand to see what Arian had left him.  
A bright glow emanated from his palm. Setting in the center of Asher’s hand was a beautiful necklace in the shape of a fallen tear drop…that tear drop that Arian had so delicately wiped from his face earlier that day.  
Asher could have sworn that he heard a wolf howl.

 

Many years later, Asher appeared at the graveyard on Halloween morning. He was wearing his teardrop necklace. In fact, he had never taken it off. Asher laughed loudly at something his older brother had said to him.  
He had his head on Arian’s shoulder. Even though he was now much larger than his ghostly brother, he still liked to curl up against his side when he could. Arian wrapped his arm around Asher’s large body.  
“So tell me, what is this big news you just couldn’t wait to share?” Arian asked with his always very squinted smile.  
Asher chuckled, his voice much deeper than his brother’s. “If you’re sure you want to know…” Asher said trailing off teasing his brother. Arian glared half-heartedly at his not so young brother and threatened with a mischievous grin, “You tell me now, or by George I am soooo telling mom!”  
Asher laughed and put up his hands. “Fine, I surrender!”  
Arian got comfortable and waited patiently for his brother to tell him about his surprise. Asher let out a breath and smiled, “I finally finished. I officially earned my doctorate in medicine.” The look on Asher’s face exhibited so much pride that Arian thought he might explode.  
“I can help people now. I can help cure sick children everywhere. I will be able to change the lives of families,” he continued. “I’m working on a cure for diseases like yours big brother,” he said with a faraway smile.  
Arian didn’t know what to say. He was proud. That was for sure. But he was also happy…so full of happiness.  
“I can help wonderful brothers just like you!” Asher said excitedly with a scrunched nose.  
Arian’s smile grew. It may have been many years since his brother was a kid, but he still had the hopeful heart of a child.  
Arian was at loss for words because nothing he said could ever convey what he was feeling. He only held onto Asher tighter hoping that his brother would absorb his feelings. Eventually, he found his voice. “You finally found something that you could use all that genius for. You did good little brother,” he said with a soft smile. Asher blushed and bit his lip.  
Arian laid his head on Asher’s shoulder.  
These were by far, with no exception, Arian’s……Most Important Days.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, we both really appreciate it. If you would leave a comment that would be wonderful! Or if you would like to chat or talk, we are totally up for that. We would love if anyone would join a conversation with us.


End file.
